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Arson cases a 'tangle between science and supposition'

Christy Hoppe at the Dallas News today has a feature on innocence claims involving faulty arson science, focusing on five specific cases including Cameron Willingham's. Writes Hoppe:Scrutiny of arson cases highlights a tangle between science and supposition. And in Texas, the stakes are big. As of last month, 742 offenders were in state prisons for arson, and on average, 275 more are convicted of the crime each year.Those numbers make the Beyler report all the more troubling, said state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, who has pushed to create a commission in Texas to explore questionable convictions."As scientific methods improve," he said, "it's a distinct possibility that we're going to find more problems in the criminal justice system."In addition to Willis and Willingham, fire experts point to at least three other Texas cases that relied on questionable theories to win convictions...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on September 13, 2009 (boomark / email).